SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio City Council and nonprofit Arboretum San Antonio met Wednesday to discuss a future arboretum planned for the Southeast Side.
During the Wednesday meeting, Arboretum San Antonio requested a $25 million bond for 2027.
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The park, first proposed in 2021 by former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros, is currently in the final stages of its master plan process, according to a City Council mini-packet.
What is an arboretum and what will it feature?
An arboretum, according to plans from the San Antonio City Council, is a specialized park that features trees and other types of wood-like plants.
The arboretum would be an educational preserve and museum for San Antonio and plans are for the park to be free to the public.
According to the packet, the arboretum will feature a nursery to propagate native and climate-resilient trees, bicycle and pedestrian trails, nature-based programming, public art displays and event spaces.
Some trees featured will be up to 300 years old, according to Cisneros.
The former Republic Golf Course, a 188-acre site, will serve as the arboretum’s location.
The meeting
During the meeting, Arboretum San Antonio informed the city council to expect the final master plan in April and that it will be requesting a $25 million 2027 bond request as Part One of a multi-phase funding strategy.
The organization also introduced its new CEO, Adriana Quiñones, to the council.
At the meeting, Quiñones said she has nearly 30 years of experience in public gardening and has previously led botanic gardens.
“I’ve done research on trees and my whole career started when I was 26 at an arboretum,” Quiñones said. “So, this is a full circle for me, and I’m just so excited to be here in San Antonio and be able to be a part of this.”
So far, the arboretum has held surveys and community events to get public input from San Antonio residents.
Former Arboretum San Antonio CEO Tom Corser and Quiñones both took turns taking questions from the board and highlighting topics such as accessibility for prospective groups.
They also highlighted to the council the importance of garnering safety as well as collaborating with local nonprofits and the Indigenous community.
Corser said Arboretum San Antonio also planned on buying an additional piece of land that would bring the site from 188 to 200 acres of land.
A final concept for exactly what the arboretum will look like is still in development. According to Cisneros, both research and input from the community will be considered.
According to the plan, additional funding for this strategy will come from donations from corporate, foundation and philanthropic sources as well as public funds.
“This is not an arboretum. That is just a physical place,” Cisneros said at the meeting. “It is a concept.”
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